u/Longjumping-Bee2911

Help! I am in the USA and purchased 2 e-vouchers from gifted.ph before I saw what a sh*t-show nightmare that company has been for some people. They charged my credit card and now customer support says they could not verify my payment and I’d be refunded in about two billing cycles. Yeah, right.
Anyway, my family members in the PH who were expecting the Robinson Supermarket gift card to help them out of food scarcity during the rainy season won’t be getting them. I did NOT want to send cash, but I may have no other choice. This is really upsetting. I feel like sending cash is a slippery slope. I was reluctantly helping and wanting to make sure the money actually went to food and medicine. I am not 100% sure how trustworthy the recipient is with money. I chose Robinsons because e-vouchers were available and they have a Southstar pharmacy inside which supposedly honors the Robinsons voucher.
Could someone please tell me a reliable way to send a Robinson voucher electronically or tell me how to reliably send cash (as a last resort)? I read in reviews that giftaway.ph could be just as risky as well as Lazada. Please advise. What has been your experience?

Hey everybody! I have a half-sister that I’ve only just discovered in the Philippines. It’s a very long story so I’ll just get to the point. After one week of knowing each other, she asked for financial help. She allegedly sells fish for a living in Hermosa, Bataan. She says she can’t work right now because of the rainy season. She’s got 3 kids, no husband, and supports our mother (I just found my bio-mom after 50 years of being put up for adoption).
I am not even 100% sure they are my family until a DNA test is done. I’m pretty sure the lady is my birth mom though.
Today, my half sister told me they are running low on food. I am not comfortable giving money, so I decided to get a Robinsons Supermarket gift card from gifted.ph especially since she mentioned food was scarce. I feel more comfortable contributing to the purchasing power of food. I noticed that the gift cards were in increments of 250, 500, and 1000 pesos. I ended up buying two 1000-peso e-gift cards. Is this reasonable? Will this buy much to help? What is a reasonable amount of aid? I realize I may have started something that may never end, but I do plan on making it clear this is something I cannot do regularly. I’m afraid of setting a dangerous precedent as I’ve heard many stories of overseas workers sending LONG-term care back home.
Thank you in advance for your insight.

Hey everybody. This is going to be a long story that I will try to make as short as possible. I was born to a single deaf-mute mother in the Philippines back in the late 70s and adopted by a white American couple while my adoptive father was on tour at Subic Bay in the Navy. Through the help of a Filipina friend living here in the USA, I was able to find my birth mother almost a month ago. I also found out that I have two half-sisters and a half-brother (HB). Bio-mom (BM) currently resides with the younger half-sister (HS). Since my BM lives with my HS, and can not hear or speak, my HS, whose English is very limited (and I speak zero Tagalog) controls the communication on that end. Just a week after finding each other, she began to say things like "your life is so great over there. You had a good life. We struggled". As the week progressed, she started to mention that she is a single mother of 3 and has very little money to take care of her kids and our mom. I found out that the older HS is estranged and does not communicate with younger HS. I am not sure what HB's responsibilities are, but I think he lives in Manila. After one week of being reunited, she point-blank asked me for financial help. I was shocked at the boldness because I am just getting to know these people after 50 years. I am 99.99% sure these are my family members, but I wasn't going to make any financial moves until we had a DNA test.

My HS tells me that she has no money for BM's food, medication, and doctor visits which I question. I am hoping those of you who have knowledge of the Filipino Healthcare system can offer me some insight. Since she's deaf and mute, I assumed she would be considered a Person With Disabilities (PWD) and receive some kind of assistance and not have to pay for healthcare out of pocket 100%. I do not know how this works there. Someone suggested that she should be enrolled in something called MAIFIPP? I also saw that she has a PhilHealth card or something that is green with her picture and signature that says Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. I can only see part of the card because HS sent me a picture of the portion with her picture and signature, so I could see that her signature matched what was on my birth certificate for the 70s.

Anyway, after I told her I didn't know how I could help at this moment from over here, she kind of scaled back on communication. I am afraid she will try to control access to my BM concerning me going to meet her in person for the first time. I am afraid interactions will start to become transactional if I start by giving a small amount of money to help. I am afraid it will set a precedent.

Please feel free to ask questions, and I will do my best to answer. Anyone who can elaborate on how healthcare, services for senior citizens, and the disabled, I'd certainly appreciate it.